Cabs, Meatballs and Mayhem at Santa Fest With Pauly D

If you have ever listened to me on the air, then you know that I have had a humungous crush on Jersey Shore’s DJ Pauly D. So, when I was asked by my friend who happens to write for Variety, to join her for a dinner meeting with his video staff in Atlantic City, I did not hesitate to say yes! OMG what am I going to wear was the first question that popped up. My heart was fluttering with excitement for the 3 days leading up to this moment. Would there be a chance I would be meeting my celebrity crush?! We were treated VIP from the moment LYFT came to get Michelle and I…yes, we yelled “CABS ARE HERE!” as we walked out of the house. Our driver, Lonnie was super nice and had a great personality! When we arrived at Harrah’s we walked to where the restaurants are, while we waited for Roy and Tony. I knew that we would be getting to see his set VIP but never did I imagine that he would walk up as we were about to walk into the restaurant for dinner. MY HEART DROPPED so hard I lost my breath for a moment…but I played it super cool as we introduced ourselves outside the doors of Martorano’s in the Harrah’s Casino. No one would ever know that I felt at that moment like I had died and gone to…I felt like I was floating on a cloud. I was literally about to sit down and have dinner with Pauly D!!! What in the world?! Somebody pinch me, better yet, kick me in the shin so I can feel it!

Ok Jazzy play it cool is what I kept telling myself. As we walked through the restaurant, we were greeted by the staff and the air was filled with customers yelling out “YEAH BUDDY”, “DJ PAULY D!” etc. It was definitely cool to be walked into a private room where the black curtains would be drawn for privacy. The 7 of us sat down and for me I had to take it all in. I was awkwardly quiet, as my internal organs were having some sort of spasms and I needed to pull myself together so I did not embarrass myself or my friend who was meeting for business. Michelle broke the silence thankfully. I was finally able to breathe. I had never been to that restaurant so I asked Pauly what he normally eats there. I decided that I was going to be a copycat and try the Famous Meatball and Salad. I mean why not try something that he likes right? Once in a lifetime opportunity to eat meatballs with Pauly D at one of his favorite restaurants. That was a no brainer! As we sat there, we all had conversation of our family lives, talks of the holidays, and of course Michelle and I both congratulated him on his success. He had just found out that his residency at Harrah’s The Pool After Dark has been extended until 2020. He was so humble about everything I had to let him know how I as a fan appreciate that. Sometimes in the entertainment industry, people forget where they came from. Not him, he even gave us a history on how he got started as a DJ and you could really feel his positive energy when he expressed how blessed he was. The highlight of the conversations for me was when I asked him how old his daughter was now. His eyes lit right up. He was such a proud dad! The smile on his face as he spoke about her was larger than life. It legit made my heart melt!

We talked about Jersey Shore a little and then I introduced the Prank War Champion to the Prank Queen aka me. LOL…listen, I didn’t know how long I was going to be sitting there talking to him, so I made sure I said everything I wanted to say without sounding creepy. The way I see it, I was letting my personality shine in hopes he would have wanted to wife me up…just kidding, a girl can dream, can’t she?! When dinner was over, we said our goodbye’s and I gave him a big hug and thanked him for a wonderful dinner. I wished him the best and told him I couldn’t wait to finally see him do a set. He was so amazing to hang out with! Such a great guy! So very humble. There we parted ways.

We had some time to kill before Pauly went on so we decided to gamble a little. I finally learned how to play Blackjack. I mean I already knew the concept, but there is more to it than just getting 21. I learned and walked away with $15 more than I started with. As a matter of fact, those of us that played at that table were pretty hot! Good times.

We headed to The Pool After Dark where we would be set up in the VIP section. The Pool After Dark was packed to the gills for Santa Fest! The crowd was a mix of races and ages. We walked through the crowd and finally made it to the section just below stage left. OMG looking at the barricades, people were legit smushed up to it and as the music pumped through the speakers, the fists were pumping in the air. Mine included. The drinks were flowing, people were dancing, Santa Hats and Santa’s, Ugly Sweaters and holiday suits made for a great night for a holiday celebration! Pauly D was doing his thing! His set catered to the crowd completely, just like we talked about at dinner. He interacted with the crowd and you can see how much he loves to do what he does! The crowd loved his set. Highlight of my evening is when I asked Dave if he could get me up there to take one picture with him for this blog. I mean it didn’t really happen if there are no photos, right?! When I got up there Pauly gave me a hug and said, “I can’t believe you are still here, I thought you left hours ago after dinner.!” I said “No way, I came here to see you. Not to sound creepy but you should totally be my future ex-husband, but we do not have to get divorced!” He found that amusing as did I. I told him I wasn’t “Vanessa” creepy, but I legit have a humungous crush. Then I thanked him for a wonderful time! I took a picture with him and then Michelle came up. He was genuinely excited to share that little moment with us. He handed me a 12 inch vinyl to hold as we took our group shot. What an exciting adventure at the Jersey Shore!!! Shortly after it was time for Michelle and I to yell “CABS ARE HERE!” as we headed to a Lincoln Town Car waiting to take us back home. This moment was one I will never ever forget!!!! I am still floating on a cloud!!! Thank you, Michelle, Roy, Dave, Tony, Steve and PAULY D for the Best Christmas Present EVER!!! Next time let’s go to Vegas!! I have never been there!!